Smile [Kavi]

Chapter 15

Jeremy was aware of the sound of sirens blaring their way down the street. He didn't want to think anything of it, but something about that fire engine that sped past the motel he was in perturbed him.

He retreated from his position by the dusty window back to the bed he had slept in. Jeremy threw his head onto his pillow and rubbed his eyes, hoping that he would be able to get back to sleep.

"Is everything okay?" The voice next to him asked.

Jeremy turned and faced a girl with long, silky brown hair and mile deep dimples. The same girl he had spent the previous night with.

"I'm fine, Victoria, just thinking." He said as watched her smile. "Try to go back to sleep."

"Alright."

As Victoria rolled back over to her side of the bed, Jeremy continued to be disturbed by that one fire engine, despite how often they drove by in LA. Once he made sure that his one night stand was sound asleep, he grabbed his car keys and was out the door. He knew this feeling wouldn't go away until he found out where that engine was headed.

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Kirstie continued to stand on top of her bed just as she got off of the phone with 911. Thank goodness she kept her cellphone phone under pillow when she slept. She continued to panic as the flames surrounding her grew higher and higher. Olaf's barking never ceased from the other side of the room, only adding to the tension.

"Olaf, you stay there. Do you understand me? Stay!" Kirstie shouted.
Olaf took a seat on the floor, but kept on howling.

"What if the fire department comes too late? What if I don't make it?" She thought as she backed up further onto her bed. "I have to call my family and friends."

She reached for her phone once again and entered her contacts. Alphabetically, the first name that came up was Avi. Kirstie hesitated a bit, but then went through with calling her friend.

"Hello." His voice rang through the phone as he answered it.

"A-Avi, I'm scared and I don't have much time, so I want to say goodbye and I'm going to miss you." She hung up the phone immediately and proceeded to go through the rest of her contacts until her phone battery died.

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Avi stared in disbelief into the distance as his phone was still pressed to his ear, but not for long. It slipped from his hand and collided with the wood floor in an instant, the shattering of the glass echoing through the house. Esther burst into the room as she was alerted by the noise.

"What happened?!" She blurted out, in fear he was having another attack.

"I have to go! Like right now!" Avi shouted as he made his way past his sister. "I don't have time to explain."

Not wanting to argue, Esther allowed Avi a clear path to their car.

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Jeremy sped through the traffic-jammed streets of Los Angeles as he tried his best to follow the reverberating sounds of the sirens. When he finally caught up with the large engine, he could feel the color drain from his skin as he saw where it led him to.

Jeremy parked his car on the side of the road and slowly exited the vehicle. He couldn't take his eyes off of the house that was gradually becoming engulfed in a mob of flames. He inched as close as the police tape would allow him, never taking his eyes off of what used to be his house as well.

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Avi slammed his fists onto his steering wheel in rage as he was stopped by one of the pesky red lights that held him from getting to Kirstie. He ran his fingers through his knotted hair as he couldn't stand the anxiety of having to wait.

When the street light radiated the color green once again, Avi slammed his foot on the gas pedal. There was nothing else in the entire world that was going to stop him from rushing to Kirstie's aid.

Once he reached the street on which her house resided, he didn't even bother to park the car as he stopped and sprinted in hot pursuit of his friend's house. It wasn't hard to find due to the black smoke being emitted into the clear, blue sky.

"Kirstie!! Kirstie?!" He screamed before even reaching the limit of the police tape. He turned to the nearest police officer and questioned him.

"Can you help me? My friend, Kirstin, did she get out?! Is she okay?!" He yelled, standing in the way of the policeman.

"Son, I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell every bystander...We're doing the best we can." The officer replied, practically pushing Avi aside.

"Kirstie?! Kirstie where are you?!" Avi continued as he ran up to the police tape. He was about to cross it when two more police officers came over and held him back.

"No, you can't do this! I have to find my friend! Let me go! KIRSTIE?!" Avi wanted to break down and cry when he caught a glimpse of Jeremy out of the corner of his eye, standing next to a line of police tape.

"YOU!" Avi yelled to the unsuspecting man as he approached him. "Where were you?!"

Jeremy turned to see a very angered man stepping up to where he was. "I-er, I just, I was- I left. She didn't want me there so I left." He admitted.

"Are you crazy?!" Why weren't you with her?!" He continued to scream, his face as red as the flames that rose from the house. "You could've prevented this!" He had a strong grip on Jeremy's collar, making sure that he wasn't going anywhere.

"I didn't think that something like this would happen. How was I supposed to know?!" Jeremy was beginning to counter Avi's harassment. He wasn't going to stand for it.

"You are lucky you still have her. You're lucky that she is still here today. You're lucky she didn't die in that car accident like my mother!" Avi stopped in realization of what he had just said. He didn't mean for Jeremy to know that about himself. There was a silence.

"There she is!" Jeremy shouted, causing Avi to release his grip on Jeremy's shirt.

They both turned to see Kirstie being carried out of the blazing building by one of the firemen. Something about the fireman's bleach blonde hair and green eyes sparked Jeremy's memory.

Kirstie's clothes were covered in soot, but she was fully conscious. The fireman set her down next to a nearby by ambulance to be inspected for any injuries.

"Kirstie!" Avi ran over to his beloved friend, Jeremy following close behind him.

"Hey Avi!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around the overly emotional man.

"Kirstie, I'm so glad you're okay and I'm so sorry for not being here and-" Jeremy went on but Kirstie hugged him too. She was actually kind of glad to see him.

After the "hellos" and "are you okays" were exchanged, Kirstie looked around the scene.

"Where's Olaf?" She said in a chipper tone, expecting him to be nearby.

Avi and Jeremy looked at each other in confusion and fear, which caused Kirstie to panic again. As if on cue, Olaf's bellowing barks were heard from behind them. Kirstie spun around and saw her dog's head emerging from her bedroom window. He was still trapped inside.

"Olaf!!" Kirstie shrieked, running back towards her house. No one seemed to notice as she hopped straight over the tape barrier and right back into the fiery abyss.

"Help, help, she went back in!" Jeremy called out in search of another fireman.

But Avi, on the other hand, was not about to play the waiting game again. He broke through the yellow police tape, not paying any mind to the threats of the police officers, and followed Kirstie's lead charging through the opening of the flames.